Grand Park of Tirana: How Locals Spend a Day at the Lake
Tirana’s Grand Park and Artificial Lake, the green heart south of Blloku, where locals run, picnic, and take the evening xhiro around the water.
History
In Tirana, history is never far away: an Ottoman-era mosque, Italian-built ministries and communist bunkers all sit within a short walk of each other. I write about Albania’s past from the Illyrians to the fall of communism, and about the museums where you can still see it.
Start with: Albanian history for beginners · What communist Albania was really like · Bunk'Art 1 and 2
History
In Tirana, history is never far away: an Ottoman-era mosque, Italian-built ministries and communist bunkers all sit within a short walk of each other. I write about Albania’s past from the Illyrians to the fall of communism, and about the museums where you can still see it.
Start with: Albanian history for beginners · What communist Albania was really like · Bunk'Art 1 and 2
The Pyramid of Tirana: From Hoxha’s Museum to Tech Hub
Piramida went from a 1988 museum for dictator Enver Hoxha to a graffiti ruin kids slid down, then reopened in 2023 as Tirana’s free-to-climb tech hub.
The Canadian Who Gave Us Back Our Own Books: Gheg Literature, Told Through Robert Elsie
A foreigner buried in Theth spent his life translating northern Albania’s Gheg literature — Fishta, Bogdani, Migjeni — back into reach. Here’s the tradition, told through him.
The Albanians Who Have Lived in Sicily for 500 Years — And Are Now Calling Us Home
Five Sicilian villages have spoken Albanian since 1488. Now their mayors want a direct flight from Tirana. Here’s the story of the Arbëreshë — and why I think you should put one of their towns on your travel list.
Albania’s Path to the EU: Where Things Stand in 2026
Key Takeaways Albania applied for EU membership in 2009, gained candidate status in 2014, and opened accession negotiations in 2022
Albania and Iran: 30 Years of a Complicated Relationship
Key Takeaways Albania has hosted approximately 3,000 members of the Iranian dissident group MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) since 2013, at the
Albanian History for Beginners: From Illyrians to Today
Key Takeaways Albanians are among Europe’s oldest peoples — descendants of the ancient Illyrians who lived in the western Balkans